


The Murder House.

by Sarcxstic_Stilinski



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Murder House
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Like, Overdose, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, This Is Sad, alot, and cute, but like, bye, i never know how to tag stuff, i really love violet, idk - Freeform, just like, okay, please, read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-04 22:57:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15157394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcxstic_Stilinski/pseuds/Sarcxstic_Stilinski
Summary: When you moved to the murder house, you didn't expect much, but oh, how you were wrong.PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SUICIDAL/HAVE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.





	The Murder House.

**_[KO-FI](https://ko-fi.com/sarcxstic)/[TUMBLR](https://sarcxstic-stilinski.tumblr.com/)/[INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/lily.stever/)/[ART INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/sarcxstic.art/)_ **

_now, enjoy._

* * *

 

 

 _The Murder House_. The words seemed unreal as I stared at them. The small pamphlet in my hands shook slightly as I stared at the multiple pictures lining the column of the paper. Random snippets of facts danced around the words, and I found myself digesting each of the letters carefully. The poppy music playing in the background and my parents talking happily seemed like a major contradiction to what I was reading.

I had never been a fan of my parents’ line of work, but I tolerated it. It made enough money to keep our belongings. So, I couldn’t complain, but this seemed to be taking it too far. My parents, after stumbling across the for-sale sign on a Facebook ad, immediately seized the opportunity to own such a house. After all, they had been riding around the city in the Murder Tour bus and admiring the haunted building for years, and they finally had the chance to buy it and interact with the spirits inside.

I closed the pamphlet quickly and placed it in between my mother and father. My mother turned to me with a smile before placing the paper in the glove compartment. “What do you think, honey? Doesn’t it look lovely?”

I raised an eyebrow at her and spoke slowly as if I was talking to an animal. “Sure, for being a possessed house that could potentially kill us all.”

My mother seemed to let the words go through one ear and out the other as she continued grinning. “It’s a new opportunity for our business! If we manage to catch something on our cameras in this house, we can go big. We’ll finally be able to get the recognition we deserve. I’m, frankly, getting tired of dealing with the normal ones that just cry all day. I think it’s time we do something huge.”

“And that meant we needed to sell our house and  _move into this one_?” The annoyance was blatantly obvious as I spoke, and it seemed to deter her a bit, but she tried to keep a smile on her lips.

“Well, honey, it’s not like you’re changing schools or anything. We’re just relocating.”

I frowned at the thought of my school. The place could give anyone who walked in there nightmares. Stuck-up girls and hormonal boys seemed to be creeping around every corner. After all, if you grew up in L.A., you had to be some kind of rich, and they made sure to flaunt their parents’ money.

I frowned at my mom and scratched my knee anxiously. “Have you not read up on this place? The last five families who lived here all  _died._  Something killed them, or they killed themselves. I can’t believe you're risking the family for this stupid job of yours.”

This time, your father responded, looking at you through the rear-view mirror. “Lily, we talked about this. We wouldn’t take you anywhere if we thought there was a serious threat to you. For all we know, those people had mental illnesses and just went off the looney bin. Maybe it was all circumstantial.”

“Then, why are we going?”

“Because my readings were off the charts! There’s something in there, and it’s something big, something that’s going to get us a lot of money.”

I huffed and slumped into my seat, my fingers twitching as they ached to hold a pencil or a pen. They wanted to write or draw, just move graphite and ink against paper. It was a short car ride, but I had a long day ahead of me. After all, I had to unpack into my new room and set up my new office area while my parents acted like idiots and tried to catch something on their high-tech cameras.

Don’t get me wrong, I think ghosts or whatever are real, but I think my parents are taking it too far. If people are dead, wouldn’t they want to be left alone to be, well, dead? I’m not sure what dead people do, but if I get annoyed by my parents’ antics, then I bet they do too.

I grabbed my phone and scrolled through a few of my social medias for a few minutes, and then, the car came to a halt, and I was left to marvel at the beautiful house. The man who created obviously cared a lot for the home. It was absolutely beautiful.

I jumped out of the car quickly and jogged up the steps of the house. I swung open the door hurriedly but stopped in my tracks as a gust of cold air hit me. ‘ _The air conditioning has just been running too long, and now, it’s finally been let out,_ ’ I thought to myself, brushing it off. I refused to jump at any minor sign of a ghost like my parents did.

I stepped into the house cautiously, looking over everything. The furniture was incredibly old, but the paint looked new. The chandeliers were beautiful, and the staircase seemed to be sturdy. It was random analysis’s, but it meant the house wouldn’t be terrible to live in.

I made my way up the wooden staircase, running my hand along the banister. It was pretty, that’s for sure. I looked around the halls before my eyes settled on the boxes sitting beside a room. The boxes were labeled with my name, so I guessed that it was my room.

The room was painted turquoise, and a bed sat in the middle of it. A dresser was on the wall, but that was it. The room had potential, and I was ready to fix it. I dragged my many boxes into my room and began setting up. I placed speakers and my vinyl and cd players on my dresser. I filled my drawers with my clothes and placed artwork on the wall, most made by my friends. I placed my clock on the wall and began to line the top of the room with fairy lights when a knock sounded on my door.

I turned my head quickly to the sound and furrowed my eyes at the sight of an unknown girl standing by my door. I tacked the part of the light I had in my hand quickly and brushed my hands along my jeans before jumping down from the chair I was standing on. She watched me move across the room and fiddle with my music, turning on the radio to the punk station. Her lip twitched into a slight smile before dropping back to a frown.

“You should really get out of this house, y’know,” the girl stated, making her way into the room. She plopped down onto the bed and stared at me as I continued fiddling with my collection of vinyl records.

I sighed and nodded at her sentence. “You haven’t even told me your name, and yet, you’re telling me things I already know.”

The girl laughed a bit and stuck out her hand. “My name is Violet. I used to live here a few years ago.”

I shook her head quickly and grinned. “My name’s Lily, and I, unfortunately, have to live here now.”

Violet let go of my hand and placed her head in her hands. She watched me as I moved along the room, opening a box filled with books, most of which I hadn’t read. “Well,” she mumbled, “what brings you here? To the house, I mean.”

“Ghosts,” I replied blatantly, looking over my shoulder to her. She raised an eyebrow in questioning. “My parents are, uh, ghost hunters or something. They figured that, since so much murder and stuff has happened here, there must be ghosts. They’re trying to get big in the industry.”

“What do you think about ghosts?”

I laughed harshly at her question, rolling my eyes. “I think they’re real, but they should be left alone. Why the hell would you want to be bothered by two people screaming about how their ratings are ‘off the chart’ because they’re right beside a fucking power line.”

“I guess that would be pretty annoying,” she stated, staring the stacks of books I had.

I nodded in response and picked up one of the cardboard boxes. It jostled slightly in my hands, but I kept it steady. “I don’t want to be rude, but if you’re going to hang out with me, can you help me unpack.”

She nodded and grabbed the other box, following me as I stared at the ceiling. “What are you looking for?”

“The attic,” I responded, smiling as I saw the string to the ladder.

She hummed and stared up the dark staircase. “Why would you want to go up there? Isn’t that like the number one spot not to go to?”

“Probably for normal people, but for me, it’s going to be one of the only places my parents  _don’t_ go to. Nobody’s died up here from what they know, so they’re not going to care.” I climbed the steps carefully and placed the box against a wall. I felt around the area for a few seconds before coming across a string. I pulled it, and one of those really old lights flickered on making me smile. I turned around a gasped loudly before laughing. “Jesus Christ! Someone who lived here must have been a freak! Are you kidding me?”

Dangling in the middle of the room was a full-body rubber suit. I walked around it for a second before laughing again. “Damn, this shit is kinky. Wanna try it,” I questioned Violet who glared in disgust at the suit. “Guessing you’re not very into the weird stuff?” She shook her head and opened the box she had carried up. “Don’t worry. I’m not either. Not that you would really care.”

Violet looked up and shook her head. “You should really take that out. It’s gross. Who knows what happened with it.”

“I mean, I have an idea,” I replied, laughing a bit. She glared at me so I raised my hands in defense. “Fine, if you help me take this down, I’ll throw it out. I’ll put it in one of those bins out by the side of the road.”

She nodded and stood on the tips of her toes, reaching towards it. Her fingertips could barely touch it. I moved over and grabbed her by the waist, pushing her up. She gasped at the newfound height and quickly unhooked it and jumped from my arms.

Violet huffed and wrapped her arms around herself. “You didn’t have to do that. I could have done it myself.”

“Sure, you could have.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed the suit. “Stay here, and I’ll take it down to the trashcan. If you want, you can grab the other box from my room. You don’t have to, though.”

Violet nodded and I made my way down the stairs of the attic and to the first floor. I was quickly stopped in my tracks, though, by my mother who was screeching excitedly. “Lily! You wouldn’t believe the stuff we’ve already caught here! The EMF ratings are off the chart! Your father is setting up some cameras and the laser grids up. I think tonight- wait, what the hell are you holding?”

I looked down at the latex in my hand and shrugged. “I found it in the attic. I’m going to go throw it out.”

My mother nodded and sighed. “Okay, well, uh, we’re going to order out tonight. Do you want some pizza?”

“Yeah, can you get my normal?”

She nodded in response and looked behind her shoulder as my dad called for her. “I have to go. Food will be here in forty-five! Stay safe.”

“Of course. See you later,” I grumbled, walking out of the house.

I walked down the steps of the house and rounded the corner before stuffing the suit into the dark green trashcan. The trash man would be coming in two days, and then, it would be gone. I turned back around and stepped back as an older lady stared at me with a smile on her face. “Hello, I live across the street. My name is Constance. Are your parents home?”

“Uhm, yeah, they’re inside setting up stuff. Uh, do you want to come in?” The lady grinned and nodded, motioning for me to take her in. I complied and led her up the steps, opening the door for her. “Mom, we have company,” I yelled, watching as she rushed into the room.

My mother smiled at the lady, and I quickly excused myself, running up the stairs to the attic. There, Violet sat on one of the boxes, looking around the room. She didn’t seem to like it all too much, but I shrugged it off and opened the box labeled ‘AL’ a.k.a. ‘Attic Lights.’ The box was filled with more fairy lights, and I quickly set to work pinning them along the walls. Then, I plugged it in, and the room shined brightly. I grinned happily and turned to see Violet staring at me.

Violet stood up and nodded. “I guess this place could be pretty. It’s still creepy, though.”

“Eh, it just needs a bit of charm to spice it up.”

 

* * *

 

 

Time passed effortlessly after that. My parents seemed to freak out every morning on things they had caught while I simply spent my summer days in the attic with Violet. The place had quickly turned into our hangout spot, and I made sure to decorate it accordingly.

Fairy lights were placed all around the room as our main source of light. There were a few beanbag chairs, a radio and vinyl player along with speakers I had brought from my room, and a tv sat on the ground by a window.

Currently, Violet and I were sitting in the room, watching the sunset from the large window. A Florence + The Machines album played through the speakers, and the night seemed nice. Violet looked over at me and I looked over at her. I smiled slightly and relaxed more in the chair.

“This is nice,” I mumbled. She looked perfect in the lighting, her normal neutral expression stuck on her face while the varying shades of orange and blue highlighted every feature I loved about her. Her perfectly straight hair seemed to reflect the light in a way that made her look almost angelic.

Violet nodded and smiled back. “It is.” Her eyes studied me the same way I had studied her, and I felt a bit self-conscious under her gaze. Times like these, I felt like she liked me more than a friend. The thought terrified me, to say the least. I had never really had someone like me like  _that_ , especially someone as beautiful as Violet Harman.

But she only liked me as a friend. Right?

I yawned loudly and rubbed my eyes, looking away from her. I stretched my arms out and shook my head, trying to shake the tiredness off of me.

“You should go to bed if you’re tired. You only got like three hours of sleep last night, or so you told me.” Violet grinned, standing up from our position to turn off the record.

I nodded and stood up, scratching my wrist. “I probably should. It’s so early, though.”

Violet shook her head. “Your body still needs rest. Go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You remember the way out, right,” I stated sarcastically, watching as she laughed and nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Love you. Stay safe.” I wrapped my arm around her in a lazy hug before walking down the stairs, knowing she would turn off the lights. She always did.

I walked into my room slowly and took in my surroundings before turning off my light and laying on my bed. I stripped myself into my night clothes and wrapped myself in my sheets, listening to the soft sound of the TV playing downstairs. I hugged one of my pillows tightly and huffed quietly, shutting my eyes for a good night’s sleep.

I woke up a few hours later to the sound of something thumping. I groaned and rolled over, opening my eyes slowly. The thumping came to a stop as my eyes adjusted to the room, but my breathing caught in my throat as the figure of a boy came into view. I slowly sat up in my bed and stared at the boy. His blonde hair caught in the moonlight, and his face was mostly hidden from view.

I slowly slid my hand towards my dresser to reach for the knife I had in my dresser drawer. I slid the drawer open slowly but stopped in my tracks as his voice rang out. It was quiet and on the verge of cracking during the sentence, but I heard every word perfectly.

“I wouldn’t try doing that. The knife isn’t in there anymore.”

I pulled back my hand and stared at the boy in front of me. He let out a sigh and walked forward. There was a metal bat in his hand, which I guess was the thumping I had heard earlier. He had been hitting it against something.

The boy stepped into the light. His blonde hair shined brightly, and his eyes were filled with tears. “I really don’t want to do this,” he spoke, his voice cracking at the end. “I really, really do not want to do this, but I have to.”

I pulled my legs towards myself and whimpered. “What are you talking about? Why are you here? Who are you?”

“Shut up!” He screamed in response. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I have to do this! I have to- I have to do it for her. She’s so fucking lonely, and you’re the only person she’s talked to in years! She’s always just _gone_ , but you brought her out. She  _needs_ you. So, she needs you dead.”

“What do you mean? Who needs me dead?  _I thought I was good alive,_ ” I screeched.

“Violet! She needs you dead so she can have you. She can’t- she’s finally fucking happy. I’d do whatever it takes to make her happy.” He was inching closer and closer, his bat dragging against the floor.

I pushed myself as far away from him as I could. I could feel my breathing starting to pick up and tears gather in my eyes. “Why would she want me dead?”

“Because she loves you, goddammit! Do you not see it? You’ve changed her for the better, and she needs you.” He slowly raised the bat, and I watched silently. I didn’t know what to do. What  _could_  I do?

Everything seemed too fast, way too fast, but I saw it all. Violet appeared out of nowhere, screaming for me to leave as she tackled the boy, her frail body sending him to the ground. I struggled to get out of the sheets and rushed out of my room, sprinting down the stairs. My feet thudded loudly, startling my parents who had fallen asleep on the couch. Tears were rushing down my face, and I hugged myself tightly.

“Mom! There’s a boy in my room! He was gonna hurt me!”

Almost immediately, my dad scrambled off the sofa and rushed up the stairs, screaming at my mother to grab the equipment. I sobbed loudly as they ran up the stairs. I should’ve known that would be their immediate reaction.

I stood in the middle of the hallway, crying, when Violet ran down the stairs. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her. I cried harshly onto her shoulder before pushing her away harshly, remembering what the boy had said earlier. I stumbled backward and fell onto the floor, staring up at her through blurry vision.

“Violet, what was he talking about,” I stuttered out, trying to catch my breath.

She looked at me confused and tried to reach forward to grab my hand. “What are you talking about?”

“He- he said you needed me dead because you  _loved_  me. What does that mean? Why do you need me dead? How do you know him?” I pushed away from her at her advances, and she froze up at the question, dropping her hand back down and opting to crouch down to the ground.

“What all did he say?” She seemed oddly calm for the situation, and I felt myself calm down a bit, knowing I was most likely not in any danger now.

“He said a lot. Said that you needed me dead because you disappeared for years and you’re finally showing yourself again. He said that you were in love with me.” I frowned at how confusing the sentences were, but Violet seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.

Violet sat on the ground in front of me and reached her hands out again, so she could hold mine. I slid mine into her grasp cautiously, and she smiled at the contact. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Lily.”

“Well, obviously,” I remarked.

She smiled for a second before returning back to her stoic expression. “Remember when we first met. I kinda just showed up in your room, and we talked about how you believed in ghosts and how they wanted to be left alone.”

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “Of course, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Because I’m dead, Lily. I’m a freaking ghost. The boy that was in your room is one too.” She said the sentences in one breath like she was getting it off her chest after all this time.

I recoiled at the sentence and glared at her. I pushed myself to my feet and stepped away from her. “Is this some sick joke? You’re not fucking dead. You’re right there. I can touch you. You look completely alive.”

“I mean, can someone who’s alive do this?” Then, she disappeared in the blink of an eye. I took a step back only to find myself falling again. Then, she was holding me upright, keeping me steady, her face right in front of mine.

I gasped and stared at her with wide eyes. “What the fuck,” I dragged out.

She grinned and nodded. “Yeah, this sucks. You know what sucks even more, though?”

“What?”

“That I think he was right, and I am completely in love with you.”

I tried to fight the urge to smile at the sentence, but I failed and leaned forward, capturing her lips with mine. Her lips were smooth while mine were chapped, but neither of us cared. She responded quickly and placed her hands on my hips as she smiled slightly into it.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but I soon pulled back for a second and then a third, neither one of us wanting to let go of the other.

Once I was successfully out of breath, Violet let me breathe, but she kept me where I was, right in front of her. I grinned and grabbed her hands, interlacing her fingers with mine.

“I think I’m in love with you, too.” Violet’s lips curled into a sweet smile that quickly turned into a frown at my next sentence. “Now, can you tell me about this ghost stuff?”

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, I was tired. After waking up because of the boy I now knew as Tate, I couldn’t sleep very well. Violet stayed with me all night, though, after I asked. I was scared someone else would come and try to hurt me. After learning about all the spirits that resided in the household, I didn’t feel very safe. I had always known there was  _something_ , but the way she explained how the house tore people apart, I was terrified. So, the whole night, Violet and I listened to her favorite music and talked about nothing. We just enjoyed each other’s presence.

Surprisingly, for a ghost, Violet wasn’t very cold. I figured dead people would be freezing or something, but she felt and looked as real as I did. It was strange.

I had managed to fall asleep by six in the morning with Violet right beside me, her arm wrapped around me as she hummed along to the music and read from one of my books. Unfortunately, my mother woke me up two hours later by barging into my room. That’s when I learned Violet could disappear at will, something she had forgotten to tell me. I had nearly fallen over when she showed up in front of me the moment my mom left.

She told me she would be there when I got back, so I nodded and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where my parents had their equipment strewn across the table. A plate of waffles, most likely the frozen kind from Walmart that she put in the toaster a few moments before, sat in the middle of the table.

My dad ignored me as I sat down across the table from him, taking two waffles from the stack. “Did you get anything,” I questioned, trying to get some sort of response from him. He simply hummed in response and continued tapping away at his camera. I sighed and picked at the food in front of me, looking over at my mom who was doing the same.

Sometimes I wonder if they would notice if I disappeared. I guess it didn’t really matter, though.

I quickly ate the waffles and drank a glass of water before turning to rush back upstairs only for my mom to stop me. “Honey. School will be starting sometime soon. You should probably go out and get some supplies.”

I groaned and stared at her. “What happened to ‘we’re not staying that long anyway?’”

“To be honest, I’m falling in love with this house.” I stared at my mother with worry. This wasn’t going to end well, and I knew it.

I quickly ate my waffles and thanked my mom quickly before making my way back up the stairs.

“Don’t thank me,” she called out. I turned questioningly. “Thank the new maid.” I was about to question why we had a maid when a woman walked in front of you with a kind smile. She was an elderly woman that didn’t look like she should be working at her age.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lily.”

“Uhm, you too. Thank you, but I’ll be heading upstairs now.”

The woman smiled as if she knew something I didn’t I didn’t dwell too much on the thought as I was soon making my way up the stairs, trying to shake her stare from my back. I stepped into my room for a second and grabbed a notebook before making my way up the attic steps to where Violet was. The girl smiled happily at the sight of me, and I smiled at her. I huffed and sat on one of the beanbag chairs across from her and groaned dramatically.

Violet sighed and looked over at me. “The house. It’s beginning to do its work. You’ve noticed it haven’t you. How your parents are too busy with their work to even pay attention to anything in front of them. How they’re falling in love with it.”

I nodded sadly and stuffed my face in my hands. “I miss them, Violet. They’ve never ignored me this much.” I sighed as I struggled not to cry, my emotions getting the best of me.

A few seconds later, I felt Violet’s hands pull mine from my face. She pulled her arms around me and patted my back lightly, helping me calm down. “We’ll figure something out.” I nodded and pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her as well.

“I really hope so,” I mumbled.

 

* * *

 

 

After that, I watched my parents slowly become more reckless, their attention focused solely on their work while they never looked my way.

My sleeping was becoming worse as my dreams were plagued with nightmares, vivid images of me committing suicide in the worst of ways. Night after night, they grew worse and worse. I awoke in a fit, gasping for air and crying out. Violet had taken up a permanent residency in my room so she could be there when I woke up.

Sometimes, though, I could see other people watching me from the door of my room, but they almost always disappeared a few seconds later. Sometimes it was Tate. Sometimes it was a black-haired male giving me a disapproving look as I cried. Sometimes it was a young nurse looking at me with worry. Each visitor left me worried and more scared than before. I never told Violet about it, though.

I thought I was going to go crazy with sleep deprivation as the time ticked on. It felt like I was constantly dreaming. Time didn’t seem real, but I knew it was passing. Then, the day of my death fell upon me. It had started like it usually did, with me screaming my way awake. I was crying more than usual, the dream different than the normal ones. I wasn’t the one killing myself, it was Violet. It replayed in my mind over and over, pictures of her swallowing handfuls of pills, taking a blade to her wrist while I helplessly watched, unable to move from my position by the door.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and let out a full-body sob. I turned in my bed and reached helplessly for the girl who was normally beside me, but she wasn’t there. My hands fell on a dead space. I opened my eyes quickly and sat up, searching for Violet, but the only one who stood in the room was the boy I knew as Tate.

Tate smiled a sickening grin and watched as I backed away into my bedding. He took a few steps forward and pushed his hands into his pockets, his grin never wavering. “Y’know,” he spoke smoothly, “if you wanted this to end, you could just take the pills in your parents’ cabinet. They have the right medication that could take you in a moment. Or you could take the gun from the downstairs pantry. Your mom stored it there a while ago to fend against intruders. You could take the blade from your razor, press it against your pretty wrists. If you go down your arm instead of across, you’ll be out like a light.”

I shook violently in my spot, images from past dreams flooding my mind. I cried out, shaking my head back and forth quickly. “Where is Violet,” I questioned loudly, trying to stop myself from crying again. “Where is she? What did you do to her? What did you do?”

“Oh, Violet? Don’t worry. She’s fine. She’s just a bit caught up with some of the others.” Tate walked a few more steps forward, pressing his hands against the bed so he could lean forward. “So, what do you say to my proposition? I know you’ve been thinking about it. It’s what you  _dream about_ , isn’t it? The one thing you won’t tell Violet about. The one thing you want so desperately.”

“No,” I cried out, covering my ears. “No, no, no, no, no. I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna die!” I cried loudly and shut my eyes. “I don’t wanna die!”

Tate yelled in response, grabbing my wrists from my ears. “Yes, you do! You do! So why don’t we try it out?” His voice was so loud, I thought my eardrums might burst. I screamed and cried. He simply laughed, pulling me out of bed by my wrists. “How about we try them all?”

I screamed in response, repeating the phrases from before over and over. I struggled against his grip, crying out loudly. He pulled me to the bathroom near my room, pushing me into it and shutting the door, standing in front of it so I couldn’t leave. I slammed my fists against the door loudly, yelling at him to let me out, but it didn’t work.

I felt like my mind was flooding, image after image repeating, every single dream I’ve had of me killing myself. Every single brutal way played through my mind like a tape, and I screamed, falling back from the door. I screamed, pressing my hands against my head. I hit myself a few times, trying to stop the images, trying to see straight.

“What have you done to me,” I screamed, holding my head.

Tate’s voice sounded from the other room. “There’s a way you can make it stop.”

I shook at his voice and pushed myself from the ground, staggering towards the sink. I gripped the sides of it with both hands before using one to open the door. The cabinet was filled with different kinds of medication ranging from aspirin to Xanax to words I couldn’t pronounce. I stared at them through blurry eyes and stuck my hand out, grabbing a handful of different medications. I twisted off cap after cap, downing them all, bottle after bottle until I couldn’t see anymore, and my legs gave out from underneath myself. My hands twitched and so did my legs every now and then. It felt like I was floating, and I couldn’t feel my body. Everything was numb.

It felt like hours had gone by, and then I was awake, but I wasn’t alive. I stood in a corner of the bathroom, staring at my body. If I had known I was going to die tonight, I probably would have worn better clothes. The pale pink oversized shirt clung to my body from sweat, and the shorts I wore were hiked up a bit too high for my comfort. At least in the afterlife, my clothes fit me better. I sighed and stepped over to the door, knocking quietly.

“Tate,” I called out. “You can let me out.”

The door opened slowly, and I stumbled out, but there was no one on the other side. I made my way down the hallway, and my eyes fell upon a crying Violet. Her hands were covering her cheeks as she stared at me. She wiped away her tears quickly and walked up to me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she cried onto my shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so fucking sorry. I never wanted this for you.”

I sighed and held her close to me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“But I should have been there. They had me in the basement. They wouldn’t let me go. I could hear you. I could hear you screaming.” Violet seemed to curl herself around me, trying to get herself as close to me as she could. “I should have been able to help you.”

I sighed and held her for a long moment, letting her take me in. Violet let out an elongated sigh and gripped me for a second longer before letting go, staring at her feet. “What can I do to help? I was useless for hours. Is there anything I can do?”

“We need to get my parents out of this house,” I mumbled back, looking around the house. “I don’t want something like that to happen to them, too.”

Violet nodded. “They’re growing restless, the others. They don’t like having all this equipment shoved in their faces. It means they have to hide for long periods of time. They can’t walk around like they used to.”

I nodded, thinking about what could work to get them out. Nothing seemed to work in my mind, and the answer dawned on me quickly. I couldn’t do anything. It had to play out itself. If I knew my parents, I knew what they would do step-by-step.

So, I waited. I pulled Violet with me upstairs to my room, and we sat in silence and watched the sun rise like she had done countless times without me. Time felt strange before, but now it was meaningless. Time didn’t hold me down. It didn’t permit my actions or make me want to cry like it used to. I had all the time in the world right in the palm of my hand, and I had a beautiful girl by my side, something I didn’t have in the living world.

Violet kept me beside me, holding me tightly as if I was going to be taken again. I placed my head on her shoulder and interlaced our fingers. “I guess you’re stuck with me, huh?”

Violet chuckled and nodded. “I guess so.”

We waited a few more hours, and then, a blood-curdling scream rang throughout the house. I jumped up quickly and ran down the steps, skidding towards the scream quickly to see my mother standing in front of the door of the bathroom. I stared with wide eyes and subconsciously wrapped my arms around myself. My mother had tears streaming down her face as she pressed her hand over her mouth in horror.

I felt Violet’s arms wrap around me in a comforting manner, but I ignored her, watching the scene in front of me as it occurred like I thought it would. My mother called my father who called an ambulance, and soon, there was a whole crowd of people in the house. Police were asking my parents about past habits, if I had shown signs of depression or I had ever self-harmed. I watched as they broke down at the news that I had passed, and I watched them all leave the house, one after the other.  

I was left with a home empty of the living and a chest that felt tighter than ever. A few hours later, I was sitting on the sofa in the living room, and my parents returned, both holding something I knew they would bring. It had all worked out like I believed it would.

In my mother’s tightly clenched fist was a box to a game they swore they never would never play unless there were dire circumstances. I guess this would count as dire. ‘OUIJA BOARD’ stood out in bright, bold letters, and I watched as they set up the game, playing the planchette in the middle of everything.

They sat in the middle of the house on the floor, candles lit around them.

“Spirits we call thee in hopes we can contact our daughter, Lily Stever. Please, do not respond if you are not her.” My father’s voice was the first to break the silence, and my mother’s followed next.

“Baby, are you there?” Then, there was silence as her hands shook in hope.

I turned to Violet who nodded assuringly. I stood up slowly and walked over and sat at the side of the board, in between the two who were sitting opposite to each other. I watched my mother sigh as she began to lose hope, but I moved forward and pressed my fingers against the planchette, pushing it to the ‘yes.’

My mother gasped loudly and inched forward a bit. “Honey, are you okay?”

I moved it back before moving it back to the yes. She smiled happily, and my father spoke next.

“Did you do what you did on purpose? Did you want to die?” His voice cracked at the last word, and I sighed. I moved it to the ‘no.’ “What happened? Who did it to you?”

I paused for a moment and shook my head, spelling out two words with the stupid piece of wood. It spelled out ‘please leave,’ and my mother let out a sob at the declaration.

“Why? Why do you want us to leave? What happened? I can’t just leave you!” My mother’s voice was thick with sorrow as she spoke, but I was focusing. Violet taught me how to appear to the living an hour before, and I could only hope it worked.

I sat and focused hard, thought about what it was like to be human. I thought about feelings and smells and my body. I thought about being alive, and soon enough, a gasp filled my ears. I opened my eyes again and smiled a bit. “Hey, mom and dad.”

“Lily? Is it really you,” My dad asked, staring at me with disbelief.

I shrugged and nodded. “I guess so, but you guys  _have_  to leave. I don’t want this to happen to you. I don’t want you hurt like I was. You guys were right, there are so many spirits here, but all they want is revenge. So, please, please, please, leave. Go buy that house I saw you guys constantly looking at, but please, don’t keep ghost hunting. They don’t like it at all, and they’re going to grow more malevolent.”

“We can’t just leave you here alone!” My mother’s voice was firm, but it didn’t faze me.

I smiled and shook my head. “But I’m not alone. You guys remember Violet?”

“She also died last night?”

I shook my head again. “She’s been dead since 2011.”

“I just- honey, I can’t leave you. You’re my daughter. You were everything.” My mother cried harder.

“But, you still have me. You’ll still have memories and the stupid projects I made you, and you still have each other. Make another kid, but  _you have to leave_. Tonight.”

My mother tried to reach out toward me, but I disappeared, gone from their sight in the blink of an eye even though I was still there. She let out a ridiculously loud sob, and my father quickly reached out for her, pulling her towards him. They ended the game, and my father helped her stand up. A few minutes later, they were out of the house, leaving me with a new journey and Violet, the only saving grace I had now.

I sat on the floor where the Ouija board was and sighed. Violet wrapped her arms around me and sat down beside me. “You know I love you, right,” she whispered.

“I love you, too, Violet. I love you more than you know.”

“Well, that’s good because now you get to meet my parents.”


End file.
